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Applied Physics Letters

Noise sources and dissipation mechanisms of a 120 ℏ SQUID amplifier

P. Falferi, M. Bonaldi, Antonella Cavalleri, MASSIMO CERDONIO, Andrea Vinante, R. Mezzena, Ke-xi Xu, Giovanni Andrea Prodi, Stefano Vitale

Published Feb 10, 2003• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A two-stage superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), based on a commercial sensor, is strongly coupled to an electrical resonator at 11 kHz with a quality factor Q=600 000 and operated in the temperature range 1.33–4.17 K. From the analysis of the noise generated by this system, the back action noise of the SQUID amplifier is estimated. The minimum noise temperature, calculated from back action and additive noise measurements, is 63 μK at 1.33 K, and corresponds to 120 times the quantum-limited noise temperature. We discuss and experimentally verify a mechanism, which can limit the noise temperature and add losses to the system.

DOI
10.1063/1.1542673

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A two-stage superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), based on a commercial sensor, is strongly coupled to an electrical resonator at 11 kHz with a quality factor Q=600 000 and operated in the temperature range 1.33–4.17 K. From the analysis of the noise generated by this system, the back action noise of the SQUID amplifier is estimated. The minimum noise temperature, calculated from back action and additive noise measurements, is 63 μK at 1.33 K, and corresponds to 120 times the quantum-limited noise temperature. We discuss and experimentally verify a mechanism, which can limit the noise temperature and add losses to the system.
A dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with a resonant microstrip input is operated as an amplifier at temperatures down to 20 mK. A second SQUID is used as a postamplifier. Below about 100 mK, the noise temperature is 52±20 mK at 538 MHz, estimated from measurements of signal-to-noise ratio, and 47±10 mK at 519 MHz, estimated from the noise generated by a resonant circuit coupled to the input. The quantum-limited noise temperatures are 26 and 25 mK, respectively. The measured noise temperature is limited by hot electrons generated by the bias current.
A low-noise single-chip two-stage superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) system with a double relaxation oscillation SQUID as the second stage has been realized. The system was operated in a direct voltage readout mode, with a closed loop bandwidth up to 1 MHz. Operated at 4.2 K, the white flux noise measured in flux locked loop was 1.3 μΦ0/√Hz, corresponding to an energy sensitivity of ε≈27h. Owing to the large flux-to-voltage transfer of up to 3.6 mV/Φ0, the room-temperature preamplifier noise did not dominate the overall flux noise.
We have cooled a macroscopic LC electrical resonator using feedback-cooling combined with an ultrasensitive dc Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) current amplifier. The resonator, with resonance frequency of 11.5 kHz and bath temperature of 135 mK, is operated in the high coupling limit so that the SQUID back-action noise overcomes the intrinsic resonator thermal noise. The effect of correlations between the amplifier noise sources clearly show up in the experimental data, as well as the interplay of the amplifier noise with the resonator thermal noise. The lowest temperature achieved by feedback is 14 μK, corresponding to 26 resonator photons, and approaches the limit imposed by the noise energy of the SQUID amplifier.
The energy sensitivity of a direct current (dc) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) can be improved if it is operated in a two-stage configuration. Employing this technique, a commercial dc SQUID system was modified and made competitive with other sensors especially designed for very low noise applications. We report the noise measurements performed in the temperature range 4.2 K–25 mK. At 4.2 K, the coupled energy sensitivity obtained with the two-stage dc SQUID was approximately ten times better than with a conventional readout electronics. The noise energy decreases linearly until approximately 300 mK, in good agreement with theoretical previsions. At lower temperature the hot-electron effect produces a saturation and the best energy sensitivity measured with open input coil is 35 ℏ.